The Cleveland Browns have officially extended an interview request to John Harbaugh’s representation, but whether the franchise will even get a chance to pitch the former Baltimore Ravens head coach remains an open question.
Seven teams other than the Ravens currently have coaching vacancies, including the Browns. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that seven teams reached out to Harbaugh’s agent within 45 minutes of Baltimore’s decision to fire its head coach of 18 years.
On Saturday, January 10, Harbaugh made a revelation that is sure to prove bad news for roughly half of his offseason suitors.
“Harbaugh told Fox that a number of teams have reached out to him since he was fired by the Ravens on Tuesday, but he plans to pick around three or four teams before starting talks,” ESPN reported. “He said he was using the weekend to evaluate his options.”
Browns’ Best Chance of Landing John Harbaugh Is Meeting His Entire List of Considerable Demands
GettyFormer Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
The New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins are all among the top candidates to land Harbaugh, per the balance of national NFL analysts.
However, Harbaugh is going to consider more factors than market size and current roster when deciding whom to interview with and ultimately which team he will coach.
Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland reported Friday a laundry list of “prerequisites” teams must meet before Harbaugh will even consider taking an open job: $20 million per year salary, $10 million annual staff budget, final say on personnel decisions and a handpicked general manager.
It is unclear if any team in the league is going to cave to all four of those asks. But if Cleveland wants to go the distance on meeting Harbaugh’s terms, that probably means axing general manager Andrew Berry.
GM Andrew Berry Still Appears in Driver’s Seat Amid Browns’ Search for New Head Coach
GettyCleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
That doesn’t seem likely for multiple reasons. The first is that the Browns fired former head coach Kevin Stefanski early in the week but decided to keep Berry on staff after an exceptional 2025 draft class.
The second is that Berry spoke with media members at length on Saturday about the team’s coaching search, during which he sounded firmly in control of the process.
“We’ll be looking for something different than maybe some of the other openings have based on, you know, where they are as a team,” Berry said Saturday, per ESPN. “And some good coaches will fit us, but they won’t fit the [Tennessee] Titans. Some will fit the Giants, and they won’t necessarily fit us. But we’re looking for the right leader and the right partner for our present situation, and I have a lot of confidence that we’ll be able to find that person.”
Cleveland has the No. 4-ranked defense in the league and Harbaugh’s childhood fandom upon which to build its case, and the money shouldn’t be an issue if the Browns are truly motivated to land the former Super Bowl-winning head coach.
However, the questions of Berry’s job and the power he holds organizationally because of it could prove the difference between whether Cleveland can truly get in the game for Harbaugh or whether the franchise will watch from the sideline as other teams fight for his services.
John Harbaugh Makes Call That May Kill Browns’ Pursuit of Head Coach